Louis Vuitton Cup - Round Robin 3 Race 1
by Warren Douglas, ETNZ 19 Jul 2013 07:46 BST
18 July 2013
Emirates Team New Zealand collected another round robin point at San Francisco today.
Five points from five starts – four races not being contested – and Emirates Team New Zealand - is at the top of leaderboard with five points, with Luna Rossa on two and Artemis zero.
Richard Meacham sailed on the bow today, replacing Adam Beashel who was trimming the wing. Glenn Ashby who usually trims the wing watched proceedings from a chase boat.
The forecast was for the fog to clear and the breeze to get into the upper wind range. With an ebb tide against the breeze, teams expected more of a sea state than that experienced in recent days.
"The challenge today is to get the most out of every minute on the water.
We have another opportunity to continue developing both the boat and the sailing team.
"We will sail the course as we are obliged to do to collect the point and then continue with the testing programme."
Adam Beashel, said that race days, even those without an opponent, bring added discipline to a day on the water. "Normal race day routines kick in and we have the pressure of the pre-start timing and we do try to get around the course as fast as we can."
And today, the AC72 recorded a top speed of 44.15 knots (50.5mph, 81.7kph), the fastest speed recorded in the Louis Vuitton Cup.
"We had 21-22 knots of breeze at one stage," Beashel said. "We had the right sails on, hooked into it and got in a couple of quick runs.
"It was a good day – good to get around the race track in the upper wind range and with an ebb tide."
For skipper Dean Barker, today's race was about the crew rotations and the great conditions. "The boys did a really good job. We are getting better and better at sailing the boat – but so are the other teams. We still have to work hard on performance.
The team's next race is on Sunday (Monday NZ time) v. Luna Rossa.
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